Tsongas will not run again

Congresswoman called trailblazer for women in politics

U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas addresses the crowd during the inaugural ceremony for Mayor Stephen DiNatale at Fitchburg High School in January 2016.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE FILE PHOTO / Ashley Green

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LOWELL -- Having imprinted the 3rd Congressional District with the indelible mark of her family's public service, U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas will step away from Congress at the end of her current term to help nurture her family's next generation.

First elected in 2007 to a congressional seat her husband Paul wielded to great effect, Tsongas has made a name for herself as a fierce advocate for women in the military, veterans benefits, and health care. Her recent bids for re-election have been forgone conclusions, but Tsongas said in a statement announcing her decision that the time has come to move on.

"I am so grateful to those who have been there since day one, and to the many great Americans who I have met along the way, all of whom have served as my inspiration and support," Tsongas said. "I have learned in life that there is a time for endings and for new beginnings. After much thought, I have decided that this is one of those times."

Tsongas, who is 71, has three daughters and two grandchildren, with another expected imminently. She said she plans to spend more time "enjoying and celebrating" them after her term expires at the end of 2018.

The daughter of an Air Force engineer, Tsongas spent her youth skipping around the world. The first time she ran for elected office was to become vice president of her high school student council, in Japan.

Throughout her life, Tsongas felt a duty to serve the public, she said. That responsibility carried extra weight when she attempted to become the first woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts in 25 years.

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Tsongas emerged from a crowded Democratic primary field in 2007 to take on Republican Jim Ogonowski, whose brother John was a pilot on one of the planes that was hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Six years after that tragedy, Tsongas characterized her campaign in part as a referendum on the war in Iraq. She won 51 percent of the vote, while Ogonowski carried 45 percent.

Many described her victory in 2007 as a turning point for women in Massachusetts politics. Since then, voters have elected another female U.S. representative, their first female senator, and dozens of women to the state Legislature.

Tsongas has been involved with Emerge Massachusetts, an organization that recruits women to run for office, since its launch and served as a mentor to aspiring candidates for several years.

"Niki Tsongas is a lifelong public servant and a trailblazing example for women entering politics," said U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, who represents Massachusetts's 5th Congressional District, in a statement. "Some of the most thoughtful political advice I've gotten came from Niki, and it's the idea that progress neither requires nor guarantees fanfare. It is the incremental steps, the gradual legislative victories and the steady fight for the families at home that have the greatest potential to help millions of Americans."

Tsongas' predecessor in Congress, current UMass system President Marty Meehan, said there are two ways to measure the success of members of Congress: Do they make a name for themselves on the national stage and do they deliver for their constituents at home.

Though she entered office in the shadow of her late husband and other Massachusetts political giants, Tsongas was able to do both, Meehan said, adding that she had the pedigree and polish to feel comfortable in the halls of power but none of the ego that leads many politicians to forget why they're there.

At the national level, Tsongas has been a leading figure in the fight to eliminate sexual assault in the military and level the playing field for women in the armed services.

On the local front, she has leveraged her clout on the House Armed Services Committee to bolster economic development back home. Last year, for example, she introduced legislation requiring the military to purchase American-made athletic shoes, a big win for the New Balance factory in Lawrence.

In Lowell, her advocacy on Capitol Hill recently helped secure a highly competitive $13 million grant to fix a dozen aging and potentially dangerous bridges. She has also worked to steer federal dollars to community health centers and fought against attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would have threatened their ability to serve low-income patients.

Friends and colleagues described her as a down-to-earth figure who was apologetic when asking for campaign donations and unwilling to engage in partisan bickering.

After a day on the campaign trail during her first run for Congress, Tsongas told family friend Fred Faust that she had received a great compliment -- someone had told her that she was an adult, a rarity among politicians.

"She is who she says she is," said Michael Gallagher, a Lowell attorney who is the co-chair of Tsongas' campaign finance committee. "She is committed strongly and passionately to what she believes in. She is an articulate spokesperson. She has worked tirelessly in support of gateway cities like Lowell ... the truth is, it will be very tough to fill her shoes."

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